Happy New Year! Happy New Lunar!
Neuro-Cultural Plasticity: our window for a new future. I hope you are starting 2023, very well and healthy. The past two years have been crazy, to say the least, with the pandemic and witnessing, every day and in every way, the current happenings in the world from climate to health crises. This blog entry is to share the journey that Spirit, the Universe, has led me on during the last two years and to invite your support for my evolutionary mission.
After my breast cancer diagnosis in 2015, I began to approach my life differently. While meeting other women, who faced this life-threatening illness, I found, there was a common value that we shared — life is too precious to waste on anything that doesn’t have meaning or purpose for us. Also, I noticed, we said this understanding in our own ways, that it is always best to remain positive, have faith, and stay in the present moment when facing adversity.
I reflected frequently about what things I’ve done that have helped the world — were they impactful or not? I wanted to leave something that would help generations after me — a legacy. I became involved in the breast cancer cause because I wanted to make a difference for women impacted by this illness. I started a non-profit specifically to help women heal from cancer. I am still very much committed to this mission, but I have slowed down because I came across a greater cause that feels more pressing and urgent.
I came across a greater cause that feels more pressing and urgent.
In 2021, I was introduced to the One Mountain Many Paths weekly broadcast of Dr. Marc Gafni, Barbara Marx Hubbard and others at the Center for Integral Wisdom (the Center). They are a community of scholarly spiritual-thought leaders, who are at the cutting-edge of understanding where we are as a humanity, in relationship to our global, planetary, and recently, intergalactic evolution and awakening.
Dr. Marc Gafni is a visionary thinker, social activist and philosopher. During his Dharma sharing, he weaves the threads of scientific research with the depth of spiritual acuity and consciousness to give a vivid understanding of the two major global crises that we are facing today.
The following is part of a special meeting on October 27th, 2022 with Dr. Marc Gafni and the Editors Circle for The Great Library Project at the Center.
The first crisis is the signs of catastrophic and existential risks on the planet that may lead to human extinction. The second crisis relates to the current political polarization of many countries along with the technological advances of artificial intelligence (AI). If both crises continue in their current directions, the risks are dystopia or even death to our democratic freedoms as we enjoy them now. Since both crises exist simultaneously, we are facing what is called a meta-crisis. It is imperative that we take dramatic action.
There is hope because our global culture nervous system is in the state of neuro-cultural plasticity*, which means our humanity is at a time between worlds and the time between stories. During this time of cultural plasticity, a window of opportunity exists to guide the global culture towards a New Story of Value rooted in First Principles and First Values. By doing this, we support our global culture to preserve open societies as an intrinsic value of our humanity.
A New Story of Value rooted in the First Principles and First Values.
Dr. Gafni explained the second crisis in greater detail. By giving an example of brain function — at times of crisis, the brain can rewire itself by creating its own synapsis, this is called the window of plasticity. Culture also has a nervous system, where we are in a period of plasticity, and the cultural values that are dominant when the window of plasticity closes, will remain for millions of years.
An example of this cultural nervous system, happened in the early civilizations of China during the Xiao Dynasty. When this dynasty fell, a movement called the Hundred Schools of Thought emerged to educate and instill values into the culture. This lasted about 400 years, before Confucianism won and reigned for the following one thousand years. Globally, we are currently in a similar period as the Hundred Schools of Thought.
You may see, our global cultures are facing increased polarization of totalitarian (closed) versus democratic (open) societies. The totalitarian societal values are becoming more present in countries such as China, Russia, and more recently Italy, where they recently elected a Prime Minister, who leads a party rooted in a post-war movement that rose out of the dictator Benito Mussolini’s fascists.
The reason for this rise stems in the failure of democratic (open) western civilizations to articulate a shared field of value. They are governing by economic motives, such as the win-lose metrics of capitalism. They have forgotten the intrinsic values of life as a human being. Leaders in closed societies have no faith on the approaches of open societies and believe their closed societal values offer better solutions.
Because of technological advances with artificial intelligence (AI), particularly a branch called artificial general intelligence (AGI). The country that is able to dominate AGI can instill their economic system and values across all global civilizations. The technology is moving swiftly and countries are competing to lead AGI. Currently, we are 20 to 50 years away from a single country dominating with AGI. We are within two generations, where totalitarian values can have the potential to rule. The great news — it hasn’t happen yet.
Because we are at the moment of neuro-cultural plasticity*, we are in the moment of having a great impact for future generations. If the window closes before we can articulate a shared story of values, we will lock in the totalitarian (closed) societal values for upwards of a million years. The prediction that Dr. Gafni has made is — about ten years before this window of plasticity closes.
* By Dr. Marc Gafni, One Mountain Many Paths, Episode 315: The Poignant Moment of Neuro-Cultural Plasticity: A Time Between Worlds and A Time between Stories.
The Center has organized several Initiatives to meet the meta-crisis.
You might be saying, this is all pie-in-the-sky science-fiction — we will never experience the end of the world. For us all, I pray your prediction is true. Then, we can relax and go about our daily lives. Yet, if you watched the movie, Don’t Look Up* on Netflix, it demonstrates art modeling culture. All, but a few people, ignored the signs and messages until it was too late. The message is important to understand because the meta-crises we face is on that same level, albeit, the timeline is different of 20-50 years versus 6-months, but the concept, is very much the same.
*Visit the One Mountain Many Path: Don’t Look Up Review.
May we thrive and leave a memory of the future for our next generations.
The Center has organized several Initiatives to meet the meta-crisis. I feel the immediacy to reorient my efforts to support their work. I want to see our humanity thrive and leave a memory of the future for our next generations.
I created My Life’s Mission Fundraising Campaign so I may invite friends, family, colleagues, businesses and future connections, who may resonate with my evolutionary work and want to support the critical response to this meta-crisis.
Fundraising, so I may invite support from friends, family, colleagues, businesses and future connections.
If my mission touches you, please consider supporting my efforts as one of my sponsors. I would be honored to have your support and work on our behalf, together. Please see the links below to learn more and how to offer your support.
With Outrageous Love,
Margie P Torres • Badass Woman Mystic
Please visit MY LIFE’S MISSION and SPONSORS pages to learn more.
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Thank you so much for your support!